plus no one is offering an alternative. Uncle Teddy is devious he is moneygrubbing and miserly according to some posters [duh] but he will ax or trade Nick without any idea of who will be the replacement.

Originally Posted by: wpr 

Players want to play no matter what. If they are old & done, or if hurt, they want to play. They have been conditioned to think that way (to play hurt) otherwise 1. They will lose their jobs and 2. they will be called "soft".

To say "it's up to the player" puts the player at risk 90% of the time.

While I am not a person that agrees with all the "rule" changes that many feel makes the "softer", I am for teams taking a stand with certain types of injuries and telling a player "NO, we are not going to allow you to take that type of risk on our team, and feel it is best for you and your long term health & future to NOT play."

To me that type of statement would not only speak volumes to fans, but also teammates and the NFL as a whole.

Nick is always going to want to play, hell look at Brett Favre, he still wanted to play for how long?! In 2008 I broke my arm (humorous) pitching (literally while I was releasing the ball) in a semi-pro baseball game and now have a rod and 8 screws in it. I can't throw ANYWHERE NEAR what I used but I still want to play. I haven't played in an adult softball game, played catch w/ my sons, or even walked onto a diamond as a player since I broke it, but I still have that urge to go out there.

My point is as a player or former player sometimes you have to have people tell you "enough is enough". In my case my wife had been telling me for a year that she would rather me stop playing. 6 weeks before I broke my arm, my teammate broke his the exact same way, releasing a pitch, and for the 1st time since I started playing ball (at the age of 6) I got scared on the field and started to question and re-evaluate things. After I heard my arm break in mid-pitch, I knew it was over. My wife never told me "I told you to stop", instead she said "let's find something else for you to put as much passion into" (outside my family).

I think (and this is my opinion) that Mrs. Collins & family would rather be safe then sorry with Nick. WE would not have to help Nick with therapy, help him bathe, clean him after he uses the restroom, take him to various Dr. appointments or worse, lay him to rest, THEY WOULD. It seems to me like people are far to concerned with "what it would do to the Packers" vs what it would do to a family.

Originally Posted by: Arrigo 

DO people REALLY think Ted doesn't have a plan?! He is the most detailed GM in the NFL and has a plan for a plan for a plan and 9 different back-up plans for each plan.

Originally Posted by: Arrigo 

Last August, Eagles defensive tackle Mike Patterson suffered a seizure during practice. The diagnosis seemed ominous; he had a congenital tangle of blood vessels in his brain, which could be eradicated only by surgery.

But Patterson returned and started 15 games, with the condition controlled by medication. Then, in January, he underwent a six-hour procedure that cured the problem.

He plans to return for training camp and play in 2012. “I just want to go out there and show people that no matter what you go through, you still need to stand up and continue to fight,” Patterson told Jonathan Tamari of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I love football, so I just want to continue to play.”

He’s not expected to be ready to return for offseason practices. And he’s not worried about injuring the area of his head where bone was temporarily removed to allow the malformation to be fixed. “You break bones in this game all the time, they’ll heal back eventually,” Patterson said. “I don’t think that it was a question in my mind [that] if I’m hit in that area again, that something is going to happen.”

A first-round pick in 2005, Patterson has spent all seven seasons of his career with the Eagles. Here’s hoping that he can play another seven seasons.

Players want to play no matter what. If they are old & done, or if hurt, they want to play. They have been conditioned to think that way (to play hurt) otherwise 1. They will lose their jobs and 2. they will be called "soft".

To say "it's up to the player" puts the player at risk 90% of the time.

While I am not a person that agrees with all the "rule" changes that many feel makes the "softer", I am for teams taking a stand with certain types of injuries and telling a player "NO, we are not going to allow you to take that type of risk on our team, and feel it is best for you and your long term health & future to NOT play."

To me that type of statement would not only speak volumes to fans, but also teammates and the NFL as a whole.

Nick is always going to want to play, hell look at Brett Favre, he still wanted to play for how long?! In 2008 I broke my arm (humorous) pitching (literally while I was releasing the ball) in a semi-pro baseball game and now have a rod and 8 screws in it. I can't throw ANYWHERE NEAR what I used but I still want to play. I haven't played in an adult softball game, played catch w/ my sons, or even walked onto a diamond as a player since I broke it, but I still have that urge to go out there.

My point is as a player or former player sometimes you have to have people tell you "enough is enough". In my case my wife had been telling me for a year that she would rather me stop playing. 6 weeks before I broke my arm, my teammate broke his the exact same way, releasing a pitch, and for the 1st time since I started playing ball (at the age of 6) I got scared on the field and started to question and re-evaluate things. After I heard my arm break in mid-pitch, I knew it was over. My wife never told me "I told you to stop", instead she said "let's find something else for you to put as much passion into" (outside my family).

I think (and this is my opinion) that Mrs. Collins & family would rather be safe then sorry with Nick. WE would not have to help Nick with therapy, help him bathe, clean him after he uses the restroom, take him to various Dr. appointments or worse, lay him to rest, THEY WOULD. It seems to me like people are far to concerned with "what it would do to the Packers" vs what it would do to a family.

Originally Posted by: Arrigo 

Injuries happen all the time in sports. If Collins comes back, there is 100% chance that he will suffer an injury. HOWEVER, he has been cleared by his doctor, who claims that he is at no more risk than any other player.

Originally Posted by: nerdmann 

Again think logically and not with football in the for front of your minds.

Originally Posted by: Arrigo 

His neck has been fused. Think logically for a second. If that was YOUR SON would YOU want him out there? Are you willing to help Nick with therapy, help him bathe, clean him after he uses the restroom, take him to various Dr. appointments or worse, lay him to rest?

Yes, every player has the risk of an injury, but there is a GREATER RISK of a MORE SEVERE INJURY or WORSE in Collins situation.

Again think logically and not with football in the for front of your minds.

Originally Posted by: Arrigo